The revised \u201cmission statement\u201d of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services no longer contains the words \u201cnation of immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deletion, and new wording, has some \u2013 including a former USCIS director — gnashing their teeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a particularly sad turn of history,\u201d said Le\u00f3n Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, director of the agency from 2014 to 2017.<\/p>\n Is it?<\/p>\n The new mission statement, announced by USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna, reads:<\/p>\n \u201cU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation\u2019s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Previously, it stated:<\/p>\n \u201cUSCIS secures America\u2019s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Cissna called the new phraseology a \u201csimple, straightforward statement.\u201d He noted that the word \u201ccustomer\u201d was removed because it gave a false impression about the agency responsible for vetting foreign applicants for green cards and citizenship.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should never allow our work to be regarded as a mere production line or even described in business or commercial terms,\u201d Cissna said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a noteworthy departure from the Obama era, when USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas<\/a> proclaimed in 2011, \u201cWe are committed to providing the highest quality customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n “Get-to-yes” customer service policies\u00a0under Mayorkas resulted in \u201cfavoritism and special access\u201d for political cronies\u00a0and foreign interests,\u00a0a damning Inspector General\u2019s investigation<\/a> revealed in 2015.<\/p>\n The notion that immigrants are USCIS\u2019s customers is completely backwards. It is the American people who are the customers and USCIS is its representative charged with making sure we are getting a good product. Immigrants should be the ones selling us on what they can do for us, not the other way around.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018A nation of immigrants\u2019 isn\u2019t a mission statement, it\u2019s a slogan,\u201d says FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman. \u201cThe biggest problem with our immigration system is that it lacks a clear national interest objective.\u201d<\/p>\n While USCIS\u2019s newly crafted mission statement may better articulate the service\u2019s role, the commitment to strict enforcement remains hazy and subject to political expediency.<\/p>\n Addressing a Border Security Expo last month in San Antonio, the deputy secretary at USCIS\u2019s parent agency — the Department of Homeland Security \u2013 had an opportunity to clarify matters.<\/p>\n Listing her department\u2019s priorities, Elaine Duke was careful to say DHS was not pursuing \u201can anti-immigration strategy.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s an immigration strategy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n How that strategy effectuates the security of America and the protection of its people will count for more than mere words.